


Talk to You Later

by Goodnightsammy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Ben Solo is an actor, F/M, I don't know what to tag this as cuz spoilers, Kylo Ren is not who he says he is, Reylo - Freeform, Soft Ben Solo, Tumblr, ben solo is shy, chatroom, fame au, good luck, reylo au, talk to each other on dms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23591056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goodnightsammy/pseuds/Goodnightsammy
Summary: Ben and Rey are both on tumblr, they like the same fandom, and one of them stumbles upon and likes the other's post. Ben (KyloRen) is pretty well known in the Space Wars fandom, and Rey (JustRey) never expected him to reply when she sent him a dm. The two slowly become friends... (and then some). But KyloRen is, well, not who he says he is.The original prompt came from the wonderful gabriella0807 on Tumblr, and while I have taken some liberties with the story (sorry, not giving away the surprise twist) I think it turned out better than I expected.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 94
Kudos: 244





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a wild one, and actually the first AU I have ever written, so bear with me.

**JustRey:** Hey

 **KyloRen:** Hey…

 **JustRey:** I don’t really have anything to say, just have been following you for a while and saw you were online and thought maybe I’d say hi.

 **KyloRen:** Oh, alright…

“I’m so stupid,” Rey grumbled to herself, snapping the top of her laptop shut, bathing her room in black. She pushed her chair back from her desk, the hollow scrape of the metal legs against the floor filling up the rooms silence. She balanced in her seat as the chair teetered on its back legs, “God I’m so stupid.” Rey looked up at the shadowed ceiling. It was late, and she always got in a weird mood at times like this, a weird enough mood that would make her message some guy she didn’t even know for no real reason.

KyloRen was—well, popular, to say the least. Probably one of the most popular Tumblr pages in the entire Space Wars fandom, if she were being honest with herself. Not just because he managed to snag the url of the main character of the final trilogy himself. And she? Well she was just Rey. She’d been following him for years—ever since he wrote his first fanfic _Across the Stars,_ and it totally changed her perception of the entire fandom. Hell, it changed her entire perspective on life, really. He was an amazing writer—eloquent in the way most novelists dreamed to be. He took the world everyone thought they had known and turned it up on end—created an entire galaxy within the galaxy. There was an honesty to his work, something that felt so real and true to the characters. He wasn’t just known for his fanfictions, though they did draw in a lot of his original followers. KyloRen was pretty handy with photoshop too. The only problem with all of this was as much as everyone loved his work, he wasn’t considered the most, well, friendly. It was rumored that he didn’t actually have _any_ mutuals, that he might not actually be following anyone back at all. So yes, it was stupid of Rey to try and message him and expect anything more than dull confusion. Stupid. It was surprising he messaged her back at all.

She cracked her laptop back open, the familiar blue glow greeting her in the dark of her bedroom, and just stared at the messages. Kylo Ren in bold greeting her. She had heard such terrible things about him from other users—not so bad that they would stop following him, but bad enough that no one really tried to communicate except for in the tags of his posts they reblogged. Rey had never given it _too_ much thought, but then again, she was inclined to believe that a guy who could write an epic love story and post it on the internet for all to see couldn’t actually be _that_ bad. He was private for a reason, she didn’t know why, couldn’t possibly guess, but he had taken the time to respond to her, and well, that was something, wasn’t it? Rey sighed heavily as she poised her fingers above the keyboard.

 **JustRey:** Sorry

She glanced over at the glowing green numbers of the clock on her bedside table, and an early morning hour greeted her. It was time to call it a night. Rey looked back at her message, still unread. She had planned at just leaving it at that, but after a few moments, she typed again.

 **JustRey:** and thanks

 _Stupid stupid stupid stupid,_ Rey thought to herself as she shut down her laptop before sliding into her bed, _why do you have to be so stupid?_ She settled her head on her pillow and just stared into the dark.

“Well, that’s it,” she told herself, “he’s never speaking to you again.”

_*_

Rey rolled over in a groggy haze to the incessant ringing of her alarm. Sun streaked in through the window, and the light cast distorted shadows from the curtains. She squinted at the screen of her phone, the brightness of morning stinging harshly against the back of her eyes. She swiped at the screen, dismissing the spam email from Primark—you buy one pair of jeans online and they never let you live it down—and the Facebook notification telling her that today was Rose Tico’s birthday. She was just about to clear the rest when she froze.

**_KyloRen_** _followed you._

Rey sat up, quickly, her head just grazing where the roof angled down above her despite the many mornings she’s spent waking up in this very place. She blinked, then blinked again.

“It has to be a mistake,” she breathed, “he must have hit the button by mistake when he was closing the chat window. He probably unfollowed me right away. It’s crazy.”

Rey stumbled out of her bed, eyes still fixed on her phone as she wandered over to the window where her desk was. She fell into the chair unceremoniously, and immediately opened Tumblr. She typed frantically, pulling up the list of her followers and…

_This user is following you._

Her breath caught in her throat. She swore the world started to spin. All she could see were those five words on the screen. Her pulse pounded against her eardrums. She was well and truly freaking the fuck out. KyloRen, _the_ KyloRen, was following her back. She couldn’t help herself. She opened the chat window almost immediately, ready to ask him a thousand questions, when she saw he had replied to her last night.

**KyloRen:** Why did you say thank you?

**KyloRen:** No, why did you apologize and /then/ say thank you?

**KyloRen:** Are you still there?

**KyloRen:** Hello…

Rey couldn’t really think, but she waited a moment before responding. She was lucky enough that he had even bothered responding to her again. She had to do this right.

**JustRey:** Why did you follow me back?

Coy, she could play coy. Answer questions with questions. Keep the interest. If she wanted to keep his attention, well, she was going to have to earn it. How many people had tried to talk to him before? Probably hundreds. He had picked her, he wanted to talk with her, and well, she wasn’t going to screw that up. She waited for a few moments, mentally willing him to reply, but he wasn’t online. It was then that worry hit her. What if being coy annoyed him? What if he found her evasive? What if, in an effort to keep him talking, she actually scared him off? Rey wanted to hit herself, to swallow back up her words, to remove them from the universe. But it was too late. Speaking of late…

She glanced back over at her clock.

“Bullocks,” Rey swore, she was going to be late.

**JustRey:** I’ve got to go to work, we can talk later, if you want.

_So much for being smooth,_ Rey scolded herself, but she didn’t have time to consider the implications of her messages to an online presence she didn’t even know the real name of. She hopped around, desperately trying to pull up the slate grey pair of slacks she had laid out for herself the night before, before tucking in a cream-colored blouse. Rey lived in a stuffy studio apartment in London, and while the location was great, the rent was atrocious for the size. At least three times during her rush to get dressed, she had banged a knee or a hip or a toe on some part of her makeshift dining table which was really just a small side table she figured could easily serve the same purpose. Rey huffed as she tied her hair up into three messy buns. She snaked a hand through the handle of a small gift bag before heading out the door.

Behind her, Rey's laptop pinged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Rose's birthday, and Rey has the best present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the action begins. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

“Happy birthday!” Rey exclaimed as she hurried into the office, shouldering through the glass doors with her arms raised in the air so that the small, purple gift bag swung above her. Rose Tico was sitting behind the front desk, her black hair tied neatly in a bun at the top of her head, wearing a clean, grey pant suit. Rose was the secretary at the advertising firm she worked at, and also Rey’s best friend.

“Is that a present?” Rose asked, hands reaching eagerly toward it as if attempting to call it to herself from several feet away, “ooh let me see, what did you get me?” Rose was just about the sweetest girl Rey new. She was achingly funny, and an amazing friend. One of the most loyal people you’d ever meet. She also just happened to be about as big of a Space Wars fan as Rey.

“You’ll have to see,” Rey teased, plopping the bag down on the counter. Rose’s dark, hungry eyes seemed to eat up the present as she eagerly pulled away at the tissue paper. The sound rustled through the quiet office.

“It’s a,” Rose started, excitement clear on her face as her hands dug through the contents, “card?” Her confusion was evident. “If you just got me a card, why’d you put it in the fancy bag?” She asked, flipping the envelope over as if the answers might wait for her on the other side.

“Because what’s in the card deserved a little more pizzazz than just a white envelope. And you’d know that if you would just open it,” Rey pushed. If she was being honest, she was probably just as excited for what was inside as Rose would be. She had to pull some major strings for this gift.

“No,” Rose gasped as she opened the card. The front of it was just a customary birthday pun, _I can’t bee-lieve you’re getting older,_ with a bright yellow, cartoon bee on the front. What was inside was a little more extraordinary, “no, no way. How? How in the world? Who did you kill?” Her jaw was hanging slack, her frantic excitement practically tumbling out of her mouth.

“Well, a certain advertising agency just so happened to work on the ad campaign for the final Space Wars movie, and because a certain assistant’s boss isn’t interested in attending a certain London World Premier, that assistant happened to get a hold of a couple of tickets,” Rey smiled.

Rose was practically buzzing, “Rey, _everyone_ is going to be there. Even, oh my god even—”

“I know,” Rey hushed her, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the pair of them weren’t causing a scene, “and we need to get dresses. Everyone has to walk on the red carpet to get in. So, if we don’t want to look like we’re wearing burlap sacks in the background of some celebrity’s sure to be full page spread, we gotta look nice.” She could tell the girl wanted to squeal, but just then, someone approached the desk. Rey took a small step out of their way and pretended to look busy with a stray clipboard.

“Hi, I have an appointment with Mr. Skywalker at nine thirty?” The man said, straightening his tie as he leaned toward the counter.

“Of course, he’s ready for you Mr.—” Rose glanced down at the schedule on her computer, “Dameron. Yes, he’s expecting you. You can head right on in.” The two girls’ eyes trailed him as he left. “This has to be the best gift I have ever gotten, literally in the history of the universe,” Rose hissed, trying to keep her voice as low as possible.

“I know, I know,” Rey beamed, “I honestly couldn’t believe the old man let me have them. But also, and this isn’t nearly as cool as the tickets, but still—still pretty freaking amazing.”

“What?” Rose questioned, clearly not believing that anything could even touch the miracle that was her holding world premier movie tickets.

“Guess who followed me back on Tumblr?” Rey whispered.

“Who?” Rose asked, scrunching her brow, mentally searching her memory for the answer.

“ _The_ KyloRen,” Rey told her, and Rose’s jaw dropped a little further than its previous state of awe.

“No way. He doesn’t—he doesn’t follow _anyone_ Rey. How’d you manage that?” Rose wondered, clearly impressed. She was practically hanging over her desk now.

“I have no idea, I sent him a couple messages last night, and this morning I woke up, and he was following me,” Rey explained, “it’s pretty crazy. Hey look,” Rey said, glancing off toward her own desk, “I gotta get to work.”

“We’re definitely talking about this more later,” Rose replied, settling back into her chair.

“Obviously,” Rey smiled, before turning and heading to her desk. Mr. Skywalker was in a meeting, so he definitely wouldn’t need her ‘assistance’ with anything for the next half hour, but it was good to look like she was actually doing work… even if she wasn’t.

Tucked away in her chair, Rey pulled out her phone from her trousers’ pocket.

**KyloRen:** What do you do?

Rey smiled to herself as she tapped away at the keyboard.

**JustRey:** You’re avoiding the question.

**KyloRen:** One could say you did the same…

Rey chuckled at her phone.

“You’re gonna get caught,” Finn called in a singsong voice from over in his cubicle. Rey glanced up to see him deep in work at his desk, his body hunched over as he squinted at his computer screen.

“You’re gonna mind your own business,” Rey chimed back in a similar tone. Finn’s cubicle was situated across from her desk next to Mr. Skywalker’s office, and they often chatted at each other from their respective chairs.

Finn let out a clearly exaggerated huff.

“Love you too,” she teased before turning back to her messages.

**JustRey:** I’m an executive assistant at an advertising firm in London.

**JustRey:** You’re turn.

**KyloRen:** Hey, you still haven’t answered my original questions…

**JustRey:** And neither you mine.

“Rey!” Mr. Skywalker called from his office. Rey glanced up.

“Shit,” she mumbled under her breath.

**JustRey:** Speaking of work, duty calls.

She turned off her phone with a press of the button, disappointed at the utter lack of chatting time she got before she was summoned once again. Rey supposed she could only be grateful for the job she had, though. Luke Skywalker was honestly a good boss, just a little rough around the edges sometimes. Rey sighed as she stood and headed toward the man’s office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I imagine Ben Solo ending all of his messages with ...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a great writer, but I am a fast one. So here's two chapters in one day.

Chapter 3

“Guess who picked up her wonderful friend a wonderful birthday lunch while she was out grabbing her Boss’s sandwich from down the street?” Rey chimed, spinning in the entryway. It was always a flourish whenever she showed something off to Rose, a silly sort of energy that overtook her and allowed her to be exactly who she wished she was. It wasn’t who she always was, however, and part of Rey ached desperately to have a person to show that to, to be honest with in the moments where she felt completely and utterly alone. But it was Rose’s birthday, and Rey couldn’t let thoughts like that ruin their fun.

Rose giggled, “Just one second.” She tapped away at her computer a few moments more before popping up from her office chair, “alright. Breakroom?” She thrusted her thumb behind her in suggestion.

“Lead the way my leading lady,” Rey smiled, before following Rose back down the hall.

The pair settled into the small round table at the center of the break room, humming lights overhead bathing the whole pace in a sort of harsh fluorescence that the rest of the open windowed office didn’t seem to have. Rey popped open the plastic container holding the Sushi she had picked up on her way back.

“Spicy tuna or rainbow roll?” Rey asked, chopsticks poised in hand.

“You know I’m a sucker for a rainbow roll,” Rose answered, swiping at her soon to be first mouthful.

“Don’t I know it,” Rey laughed, gingerly picking up a piece herself.

“So,” Rose started, the sound muffled as she chewed, “you have got to show me these messages.”

“I actually haven’t checked if he messaged me back after this morning,” Rey told her friend and she turned her phone back on, “I’ve had it off since Luke summoned me this morning.”

“So you mean I might be able to help you craft a message you’ll send to _the_ Kylo Ren,” Rose gushed, excitement clear on her face. She leaned forward on her elbows to get a better view of Rey’s screen.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Rey smirked as she waited for Tumblr to load. She nervously scraped at a crusted on stain at the edge of the table with her thumb nail.

**KyloRen:** Until you return…

“ _Until you return,_ ” Rose mimicked dramatically, lowering her voice in an attempt to sound alluring, “he’s totally into you.”

“He totally is not, he doesn’t even know me,” Rey shot back, biting her lip in thought. 

**JustRey:** I have returned

“Smooth one, girly,” Rose deadpanned, rolling her eyes. She picked up her chair and slid it around the table. It dragged in a long scrape across the ground and she pulled it closer to Rey. Rose stabbed at another piece of sushi wish a single chop stick before stuffing it into her mouth. “You wouldn’t know romance if it hit you in the face,” Rose sighed through her mouthful.

“I’m not trying to _romance_ him,” Rey protested, sheltering her phone close to her chest to avoid Rose’s scrutinizing gaze, “I don’t even know what the guy looks like. I’m just trying to talk to him.” 

**KyloRen:** Lunch time in London?

“Oh my god,” Rose gasped as the message popped up.

“Did you think I was lying?” Rey wondered, raising an eyebrow.

“Well I couldn’t be _sure,”_ Rose shot back, “did you get soy sauce?”

“It’s in the bag,” Rey offered with a wave of her hand. As Rose rustled through the bag in search of the soy sauce, Rey tapped away.

 **JustRey:** You’re in New York, right? Do you ever sleep?

 **JustRey:** You mustuve been up at what, four?

 **KyloRen:** Haven’t gotten much sleep lately, actually…

 **KyloRen:** I have a big thing coming up and I’m not really looking forward to it.

“Oooh, a _thing,_ ” Rose mumbled, “what kind of thing?”

 **JustRey:** What kind of thing?

 **KyloRen:** Just a thing…

 **KyloRen:** How’d you know I was in New York?

“He’s so evasive,” Rey explained, “did the same thing this morning. I don’t know, he’s probably just a private person.”

“Well people do say he’s rude whenever they try and talk to him,” Rose offered, glancing at the small silver watch on her wrist, “maybe that’s why. He doesn’t like answering questions.”

“Maybe,” Rey sighed, “it’s just kind of hard to have a conversation with someone who is always changing the subject.”

 **JustRey:** It says in your bio

After a few moments he replied.

 **KyloRen:** Huh, guess it does.

“Well,” Rose puffed, standing up from the table, “good luck with this, but I have to get back to manning the fort. When do you want to go dress shopping?”

“Sometime this weekend,” Rey suggested, still staring down at her phone, “Saturday, perhaps? The premiere isn’t until next month, but best to be prepared, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan, girlie. See you then,” Rose threw over her shoulder as she headed back to her desk.

Rey nodded at Rose and watched her go.

 **JustRey:** I really love your page by the way

 **JustRey:** It feels kinda weird that we’ve been talking and I haven’t even mentioned that

 **JustRey:** You’re a really amazing writer, practically changed my life.

Kylo’s response took longer this time. Rey sat listening to the humming lights and her own fingers tapping at the table. Maybe she had said something wrong. Maybe the whole reason he was talking to her in the first place is because she _didn’t_ message about what he did. Maybe she had just fucked everything up. Her fears were assuaged with the ping of her phone.

 **KyloRen:** Thanks…

 **KyloRen:** I uh, I wanted to be a writer when I was younger.

Rey was surprised, no, astonished she had actually gotten somewhere. He had actually shared something with her that maybe no one else had ever gotten to hear.

 **JustRey:** And what do you do now?

 **KyloRen:** Something different…

She couldn’t be disappointed with the avoidance. Rey had gotten farther than she had ever imagined with him already. It was exciting, thinking that she was talking to someone Tumblr famous. But a part of her, the part that stared up at the dark ceiling at night with a fist in her gut and foggy eyes, was really just glad that she was talking to someone like this at all. Something that felt special, and in a strange way, real. Even if it was between two screens.

 **JustRey:** Well, it’s back to work. You’ll probably be asleep when I’m done.

 **KyloRen:** Probably not…

Rey let out a heavy breath. For some reason, she wanted this man to take better care of himself. She could relate to anxious all-nighters, but that also meant she knew how crappy they felt the next day.

 **JustRey:** Just, try to

 **KyloRen:** I will


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter... this is a lot really fast, but I pulled an all-nighter last night cuz my sleep schedule is royally screwed.

“What do you think of this one?” Rose asked, tilting her head to the side to get a better look in the mirror, “is it too much?” She was wearing a short, knee-length black lace dress. She shifted from side to side, letting the skirt swish around her.

“It’s perfect,” Rey smiled, “demure even. Heck, those paparazzi might think you’re someone they should be taking pictures of.”

“Aren’t I?” Rose shot back, striking a pose.

“I’m sorry, my mistake,” Rey chuckled, getting up from the dressing room lounge chair she was seated at, “but honestly, you look great,” she said, hugging Rose from behind. She rocked the both of them gently from side to side, “I’m so excited,” Rey breathed, squeezing a bit tighter. She was a jumble of nerves, all butterflies and nauseous anticipation.

“I know,” Rose sighed, eyes glassy almost as if she was already imaging being there, and Rey bet she was, “but now we gotta find you a dress.”

“Mmm, I had one in mind,” Rey hummed. She slipped into the changing room, just about to close the door when she turned and waggled her eyebrows at Rose, “just you wait.”

After a few moments, she came out, back turned.

“I’m going to need some help with the clasp,” Rey said, arm crooked behind her back in a half-hearted effort to pull the zipper higher.

“On it,” Rose declared, popping up from her seat, “there, now let me see you.”

Rey spun around with a twirl. She was in a floor length, backless gold gown. It seemed to radiate light, and even in the cheap lighting of the department store, Rey seemed to be glowing.

“Oh,” Rose gaped, “oh it’s beautiful, Rey.” Rey smiled at her own reflection, dragging her hands down the length of the dress.

“You think?” Rey asked. She imagined the lights of the cameras bouncing off of it in flashes as she walked past, it really would look like star bursts.

“I _know_ ,” Rose stated, “you’re getting it.”

Rey didn’t think she had ever owned anything as nice as this dress in her entire life. Growing up in and out of foster homes hadn’t really left her with much in the sense of valuable possessions, but this dress? It was something. Rey was nervous, to be sure. Large crowds of people weren’t really her thing, all those eyes looking at her—or not at her, but in front of her as she walked past. When Mr. Skywalker had offered her the tickets, Rey could admit to herself that she had hesitated. She had been scared. Of _course_ she loved the Space Wars movies, Mr. Skywalker knew that too. That’s why he had offered them to her in the first place. Rey just wasn’t sure if her fear of people outweighed her dying wish to see the film before anyone else—not to mention see her Hollywood crush in person.

“Take it off so we can pay for it,” Rose said, pushing Rey out of her train of thought as she _physically_ pushed her toward the changing room door.

When the two girls left the store with matching bags in hand, Rey’s stomach was still in knots.

*

 **JustRey:** Why /did/ you follow me back, by the way?

It was late, late enough that Rey should definitely be asleep or else she’d show up to work with eyebags that looked like bruises and Rose would ask her if she’d gotten in a fist fight during her sleep. She couldn’t sleep though, not with how her blood seemed to vibrate in her veins. It was hard, feeling like she was walking a tightrope in her own bedroom, like at any moment she might fall off. She loved Rose, absolutely adored her, but it was the type of thing she wouldn’t understand—not really. She would try to be supportive, smile her way through it, tell Rey that everything would be okay—and Rose would mean it, but that doesn’t mean it would be true. It doesn’t mean she would really understand.

 **KyloRen:** I dunno, is it a big deal?

 **JustRey:** I mean, not usually.

 **JustRey:** But you don’t follow /anyone/

That’s why she found herself tapping away at her keyboard, the low clatter of them drowning out the heartbeat that buzzed in her ears like that sound just before the guitar player strums his first note, the amp thrumming with electricity so thick it’s palpable.

 **KyloRen:** Hey, that’s not true…

 **JustRey:** Really?

 **KyloRen:** Yeah, I follow you.

Rey could feel his smirk through her computer screen. She didn’t know what it looked like, but she could feel it, and that was enough. A weight lifted, when she spoke to him. It was nothing like talking to anyone ever had been.

 **JustRey:** Oh, funny guy are we?

 **KyloRen:** I try to be.

The two of them had gotten more comfortable chatting over the last couple of days. It rarely resulted in any real revelations about each other or their personal lives, but it was an easy sort of conversation. Rey would as a question, Kylo would avoid it, and quips would ensue. Sometimes, just sometimes, a little truth would come out of it.

 **KyloRen:** Honestly though?

 **KyloRen:** I don’t know, it was just something about the way you talked that first night.

 **JustRey:** What do you mean?

 **KyloRen:** I was brushing you off, and you apologized to me…

 **KyloRen:** I don’t follow anyone, but I’m not oblivious.

 **KyloRen:** I know what people think of me. I’m not the friendliest person…

It was true though, if Rey hadn’t thought messaging him was a stupid idea in the first place, she probably would have assumed he was a jerk just like the rest of the people who had ever tried. There was actually a reddit thread dedicated to complaining about this guy. r/KyloRenIsAJerk, and they weren’t referring to the Space Wars character. Hundreds of posts, each complaining about how one time they tried to message him, and he had totally shut them down. She still couldn’t really believe it, that she was actually talking to him.

 **JustRey:** I just figured I was the one bothering you. It was stupid of me, to message.

 **KyloRen:** Do you still think it was stupid?

 **JustRey:** No, not really.

 **KyloRen:** Good

It felt nice, talking to him like this in the dark of her room, the only light the dull glow from her laptop screen. It was nice to feel wanted in these quiet bits of time where the silence seemed to bear down on her and she forgot to breathe.

 **JustRey:** Tell me something real about you, KyloRen

 **KyloRen:** My name isn’t KyloRen…

 **JustRey:** Obviously…

 **JustRey:** What is it?

 **KyloRen:** Not yet

 **JustRey:** But eventually?

 **KyloRen:** I think so.

It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough for now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go again. Thank you all for your nice comments, I really appreciate them.

**JustRey:** Good morning, Ben

It had only taken another couple of days for him to cave. She hadn’t actually pushed that hard, and Rey thought that helped. Pushing wasn’t the way you got information out of Ben—she knew that now. She also knew his name now, which felt nice. She liked that, liked the way it rolled around inside of her head. A fact. A truth.

**KyloRen:** Good afternoon, Rey…

**JustRey:** Isn’t it kind of ironic that your name is Ben?

**KyloRen:** Why would you say that?

**KyloRen:** Lots of people’s names are Ben.

**JustRey:** Yeah, I guess

She was getting good at no touch subjects with him. That’s what she called it, in her head anyways. Some questions he answered pretty easily, some he avoided like the plague. After a while it became pretty easy to identify which topics she should drop, and which she might be able to come back around to later. It was strange, tiptoeing around subjects with someone else, it was always her avoiding the questions in her day to day. _Where are you from? Are you going home for the holidays?_ Hell, even her own last name felt detached from her—just a simple surname child protective services had picked her when they plucked her up from the streets at five years old. _Johnson._

**JustRey:** So what do you do all day anyways?

**KyloRen:** What do you mean?

**JustRey:** You know, when you’re not talking to me, what do you do?

**KyloRen:** Nothing, really. I’m kind of, well…

**KyloRen:** I’m in between jobs right now, that might be a way to put it.

**JustRey:** Oh? Are you doing okay?

**KyloRen:** Trust me, I’m doing just fine…

**KyloRen:** The break is nice

**JustRey:** That’s good, at least. A break from the world is nice.

**KyloRen:** You have no idea.

*

“So, who all is going to be there, do you think?” Rose asked. Mr. Skywalker was on a business trip for the next couple of days and told Rey he’d call if he needed anything. Out of the last seven business trips he took, Mr. Skywalker had called exactly two times. The first, he needed his prescription heart medication transferred to a different pharmacy. The second, he had a little bit too much to drink at the conference’s opening night party and forgot which hotel room he was in. All in all, Rey had minimal concerns that he would need her anytime soon. That equated to scrolling through Space Wars cast pictures with Rose while they discussed their upcoming escapades. The premiere was in two weeks, and Rose seemed like she was going to crawl out of her skin with excitement at any moment.

“Probably everyone,” Rey said, clicking away from a picture of Daisey Ridley, the actress playing Kira in the film. The scarred face of Kylo Ren stared back at her, “it is a premiere after all.”

“Oh my god he is sooo hot, isn’t he?” Rose gushed, leaning over Rey’s shoulder to get a better look at her computer screen, “and he’ll be there at the premier. He rarely goes out in public, it’s super exciting. Ooh, click on that one—of him at last year’s SAG awards.”

“Who are we ogling today?” Finn sighed, taking off his headphones. He swiveled his chair around to get a better view of them from his desk. Rey and Rose glanced up at him from where they sat huddled behind Rey’s desk.

“Why would you want to know?” Rey teased, quirking up an eyebrow.

“If I’m not going to get any actual work done with the two of you fawning over some dude, I might as well know the reason I’ll be missing my deadline,” Finn huffed, standing up from his desk and dragging his body over to the girls.

Rey adjusted the screen so he could have a better view.

“This guy?” Finn gaped, “you’re getting all heart-eyed over this dude? Looks like he could play friggin Captain Hook. Is he homeless? Did he steal that suit?”

“What are you talking about!” Rose protested, pushing at Finns shoulder, “he plays Kylo Ren and he is _hot._ ” Rey smiled from behind her hand. Rose and Finn, bickering as always.

“I don’t know why standards have suddenly fallen so low, but this dirt-rat of a guy is definitely not attractive,” Finn grumbled. He straightened up so he was no longer leaned over Rey’s desk, “What if someone showed up in the office, hey Rose? Shouldn’t you be, ya know, manning the desk,” he waved an arm frustratedly in the direction of the door.

“If you wanted to ask me out you should have just done it by now,” Rose quipped, nose wrinkled up in challenge. Rey choked on air, quickly dropping her eyes.

Finn’s face flushed, “that isn’t—I didn’t, I don’t—um, sorry. I’ll um. That’s not what this was about,” he stuttered, taking a small step back.

Rey studied the man on her screen for a moment. It was true, he wasn’t conventionally handsome. His nose was a little too big, his face a little too long. He was speckled in moles that looked like someone splattered paint across his body, but there was a uniqueness to it all. He warm, chocolate and honey toned eyes seemed genuine as you looked at them. His dark, floppy hair exuded a sort of youth that was contrasted by the broad set of his shoulders and the hard line of his brow. He looked sharp in a plain black suit and tie, classic in the sort of way his features weren’t. He was everything you could want in a man and yet nothing like what you would expect. In short, he was perfect.

“I don’t know Finn,” Rey commented, eyes still trained on the face on her screen, “I think you’re just jealous of Ben Solo.”

Finn glowered at her and stalked back to his desk. He didn’t talk to either of them for the rest of the day, but Rey did catch him glancing off in Rose’s direction more than a couple of times.

*

 **KyloRen:** Can I tell you a secret?

Rey squinted at her phone screen through the dark. She had woken to the buzzing of a notification and was still half asleep as she tapped her reply.

 **JustRey:** We’re telling secrets now? I’m honoured.

 **KyloRen:** I’m being serious…

 **JustRey:** So am I.

She waited a few moments, watched as the typing bubble popped up on her screen, but whatever it was that was so important for him to tell her a few moments before must not have been so urgent. The man on the other side of the screen, thousands of miles away, never managed to hit send.

 **JustRey:** Ben?

 **KyloRen:** Yeah, Rey?

 **JustRey:** Do you ever feel like, really, really alone?

 **KyloRen:** Not when I’m talking to you…

 **JustRey:** I’m being serious

 **KyloRen:** So am I.

Rey puffed out a breath of air, a quiet huff against the silence of her bedroom. It was nice, she decided, even if it was too little and too simple and too far away to ever be anything more than just two people talking at each other across the void of the Atlantic. Talking to Ben was enough.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day another chapter, hope you enjoy

The premiere was just a week away, and Rey’s heart rate sped up every time she spared it a passing thought. It wasn’t just the nerves of being there, though, she was honestly just excited. It was the final movie of the trilogy and she had been waiting to see it for two years now. But to be there as it played on the big screen for the first time? With all of the actors and producers and studio execs who all had their hands in it? That was a dream come true.

Rey had just left her usual Friday night drinks at her local pub with Rose when she thought of Ben. She hadn’t told him about the premiere, hadn’t told anyone really. She wasn’t one to brag on social media, (and she also didn’t want to offend any acquaintances that might feel, well, overlooked). But Rey could officially say she and Ben were friends now. She had allowed him to follow her back on her private Instagram—and had been greatly disappointed when his account username was KyloRen with literally no posts and not even a profile picture, but if he wasn’t ready to show her his face yet, well, she was patient. Either way, _she_ considered him a friend, and there was no way he could feel overlooked. She _had_ gotten the tickets before even talking to him, after all.

Rey didn’t want to sound too eager with the information though. She really didn’t like feeling like a bragger. Rey had spent most of her life on the short end of the stick, and she didn’t like knowing she made other people feel that way.

 **JustRey:** Do you have your tickets yet?

“Yeah,” Rey mumbled to herself as she unlocked the door to her apartment, her keys jangling as she jiggled at the lock, “yeah that’s good, ease into it.”

 **KyloRen:** Tickets to what…

 **JustRey:** To The Rise of Starrunner, what else?

Rey chuckled as she shouldered the door closed behind herself, how could he be so dense?

 **KyloRen:** Oh, I don’t watch the movies

Rey almost dropped her phone. Whatever plan she had had to tell him about her tickets to the premiere flew completely out of the window with this revelation.

 **JustRey:** What do you mean, you don’t watch the movies?

 **KyloRen:** I mean, I haven’t seen them…

 **JustRey:** You have an entire Tumblr /empire/ based off of the Space Wars films

 **JustRey:** And you haven’t even /seen/ them?

 **KyloRen:** I mean, I’ve seen the originals…

 **KyloRen:** I just prefer reading the novelizations…

Rey thought she might be going into shock. He wrote such amazing stuff, he knew the story lines inside and out, he knew the characters as if he were seeing through their very own eyes—but he’d never watched the actual movies?

 **JustRey:** But then, then you don’t get to see the actors…acting?

 **KyloRen:** I am aware

 **JustRey:** But they’re so good—god, Ben Solo as Kylo Ren? Changed my life

 **KyloRen:** He’s just alright

 **JustRey:** How would you know, you’ve never even seen the movies?

 **KyloRen:** Touché

Rey sighed, exasperation leaking out of her as she fell down against her bed. He hadn’t ever seen them. It didn’t sound like he ever _wanted_ to see them. She shook her head in confusion as she splayed out across the sheets. It wasn’t long until the week and the late hour and the alcohol got to her, though, and she soon fell asleep.

*

“But I mean, isn’t it weird?” Rey asked, her phone set on speaker next to her as she scrolled through her unread emails on her laptop.

“Sure, I mean to be that popular in a fandom but having never seen a third of the movies,” Rose said, voice echoing through the speakers, “but if it’s not his thing—”

“But that’s the thing, Rose. He said he’s seen the other ones, just not the new ones. Why wouldn’t he have seen the new ones if he liked the originals well enough?” Rey pushed. The whole thing was mind boggling to her.

“Yeah, I mean I get where you’re coming from, but you’re the one who knows him—I don’t really know what to tell you,” Rose sighed.

“Oh my god, Rose, you will not believe it,” Rey started, sitting up straighter in her chair. Her eyes skimmed quickly over the email Skywalker Advertising Industries had just sent her, “oh my god.”

“What?” Rose’s static laced voice replied, “are you okay?”

Rey leaned in closer to the screen as she read, “Dear Miss Johnson, A limousine will be provided on behalf of Skywalker Advertising Industries to escort you to The Rise of Spacerunner premiere on Friday night at precisely six at night. Please be ready in front of your residence at that hour to ensure an on-time departure.”

“They’re sending us a limo?” Rose asked from the other line.

“They’re sending us a limo,” Rey confirmed. She couldn’t really believe it herself, scanning the email again just to be sure she was seeing it right.

“They’re sending us a freaking limo!” Rose exclaimed, her voice a high metallic squeal through her graining cellphone speaker.

“I guess they wanted to make sure the people there representing the company would show up in style,” Rey mused, smiling to herself at her friend’s excitement.

“Five more days, Rey, I can’t believe it. It’s going to be incredible,” Rose gushed.

“God, I hope so,” Rey sighed, “look Rose, I gotta go to the store and pick up some stuff for dinner, I just thought you ought to know.”

“Alright girlie, I’m glad you called,” Rose said, and Rey could still hear her smile in her voice.

“See ya at work tomorrow,” Rey said, before hanging up. She opened up Tumblr and began tapping away.

**JustRey:** Have you ever been in a limo before?

**KyloRen:** A few times, why?

**JustRey:** I get to ride in a limo this weekend.

**KyloRen:** Well, make sure you capitalize on the free drinks…

**JustRey:** Will do

It was definitely going to be a night to remember. She could see it now, her and Rose drinking champagne in the back seat of a stretch limo, driving up to the red carpet and stepping out to the flash of lights. Rey wondered if all the nobodies got ushered inside first to clear the way for the actors, she wondered if she’d actually get to spot any of the besides a passing glance.

**KyloRen:** Hey, Rey?

Startled out of her thoughts by the ping of a notification, she returned her attention to the screen.

**JustRey:** Yeah?

**KyloRen:** I really like talking to you…

**JustRey:** I should hope so, we’ve been at it almost a month now

**JustRey:** Should have been plenty of time to change your mind

Rey was deflecting, she knew that, but she was trying not to get her hopes up. She had abandonment issues to the freaking moon and back, and though she wanted him to like her like she did him—the kind of way that twisted up her stomach and made her heart stutter at the buzz of her phone—well, she didn’t want it to all go away just as fast as it came.

**KyloRen:** No, I know… I mean

**KyloRen:** It’s easy, talking to you is easier for me than just about anyone else

Rey let out a long breath, her shoulders shaking with emotion. How long had she wanted him to tell her that?

**JustRey:** Yeah, I know what you mean.

**JustRey:** It’s the same, with me


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can tell you guys are getting excited, which is good, because I'm excited too.

**JustRey:** What’s your favorite color?

Rey and Ben had gotten into the habit of questions. Surprisingly, they had decided to start with the deep stuff. All through the night, Rey had told Ben about her life spent hopping from foster family to foster family, never really feeing wanted, always seemingly left behind. Ben had shared his own childhood trauma—while not as devastating, it seemed all the while dysfunctional. His father was always on the move, and his mother, apparently heavily involved in politics, didn’t always have the time to be an affectionate mother. He had grown up feeling alone much the same as her.

It was weird, suddenly knowing so much about Ben, but still feeling as if he was wearing a mask every time he spoke to her. Every time he offered up a fact about his life, it was shrouded in ambiguity. His father remained nameless. His mother’s position in politics stayed unknown. Rey was grateful for the stuff she got, but still—she yearned for the whole truth. Rey was crafting a picture of him in her mind. Right now—he was just a shadow, a silhouette against the backdrop of her mind she was aching to reach out to, to make whole. If only she had something to hold on to, it would all fall into place.

Night came and went with the two of them swapping little facts and large truths. It was only now, in the light of day, that their questions had tamed to simpler things.

**KyloRen:** Blue… yours?

**JustRey:** Green

**JustRey:** Most people think its yellow

**KyloRen:** Because of your name?

**JustRey:** Yeah, but I really like trees

**KyloRen:** Kind of hard to find a lot of trees in downtown London

**JustRey:** You’re telling /me/

“Rey?” Mr. Skywalker called.

Rey glanced up from where she was texting away at her desk and sighed.

**JustRey:** Duty calls

**KyloRen:** I’ll be…

**KyloRen:** Here, I guess

Rey sat down her phone and rounded the corner into Mr. Skywalker’s office. She knocked on the doorframe of the open door as a courtesy—the thing had glass walls anyways, it’s not like a closed door would offer any privacy. The man looked up. Mr. Skywalker had long, grey hair that was combed back and tucked behind his ears, and he had a short beard cropped closely to his face. Today, he was wearing a charcoal suit and a light grey tie that he straightened with one hand as the other waved at Rey to enter.

“You needed me, sir?” Rey asked with a cock of her head.

“Not really _needed,_ per say. Why don’t you sit?” He motioned again at the small wooden chair across from his desk.

Rey settled into it slowly, well over a little confused.

“Are you ready for the premiere—it is in only what, three days now?” Luke Skywalker questioned, glancing quickly at the large, paper calendar on his desk.

“Yes, Friday,” Rey answered simply, nervously lacing her fingers together. Mr. Skywalker was a nice enough boss, but entirely unpredictable—a quality that set Rey’s nerves on edge in moments like this, “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go—” she started.

“Oh hush, I’m not going to try to take the tickets away from you, I just wanted to chat,” Mr. Skywalker interrupted. Rey was simultaneously startled and relieved by his interjection, “who are you taking with the other ticket?”

“Rose,” Rey replied, her body unconsciously shifting in the direction of Rose’s desk.

“The secretary?” Mr. Skywalker asked, his thick caterpillar brows pulled low over his eyes.

“Yes, the secretary.”

“Well I suppose that’s all right. I was hoping you’d perhaps take a date,” Mr. Skywalker seemed to—pout? He slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“I’m sorry if I’ve displeased you—I didn’t realize,” Rey tried to explain.

Luke Skywalker waived her off with a flick of his hand, “it really doesn’t matter. It was an inappropriate question—you just remind me of,” his thoughts trailed off as his ice blue eyes wandered around the room. “Did I ever tell you about how we managed to snag the Space Wars contract in the first place?” Luke asked suddenly, a tinge of curiosity in his voice.

Rey shook her head in response, “no sir, I don’t believe you did.”

“We actually lost the contract bid the first two times around. This third time Disney had it narrowed down between us and a place in LA. But, I happen to have family in the cast, and they put in a good word when it became clear our prices were pretty much equal,” he told her.

“Really?” Rey gaped, a little surprised that she hadn’t known that information earlier.

“Mmm,” Mr. Skywalker hummed, turning around a picture frame on his desk, “my nephew—my sister’s son.”

Rey studied the picture for a moment. It was of a much younger Luke Skywalker and a woman she assumed to be his sister, one arm around each other’s shoulders. At the bottom of the photo, sticking out from behind Luke’s legs, was a small boy with dark, floppy hair.

“Is that?” She gasped, a little surprised at the somewhat familiar, speckled face.

“Ben Solo,” he stated, turning the photo back around and returning it to its rightful place, “you remind me of him some. You’re both pretty shy—he doesn’t… get out much. You’re a perfectly nice girl Rey, chatty with folks around the office, and obviously close friends with Rose. It’s just, well you remind me of him… and my sister and I always worry if he’s socializing enough… getting out there, ya know? That’s why I was hoping maybe you could use this opportunity to take a date. Living vicariously through you, yada yada yada.”

Now Rey was really confused, “are you telling me _the_ Ben Solo struggles at finding a girl to take on a date?”

Mr. Skywalker chuckled slightly at her words, “I’m telling you he’s _private._ Doesn’t even like to watch his own movies. He’ll be at the premiere, sure—but I promise you, half the time will be spent hiding in the bathroom.”

“Huh,” Rey thought out loud.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” he told her, “oh, and could you push back my two o’clock until tomorrow?”

“On it, sir,” Rey replied, practically scurrying out of the office.

“Rose! You won’t believe this,” Rey hissed as she made her way to the front desk, “apparently Ben Solo is shy—like super shy. I know he doesn’t like to do interviews or show up to many cast events—but Mr. Skywalker is apparently his uncle? It’s crazy, I had no idea and I scheduled their freaking family reunion last year!” Rey practically exploded. She stopped when she saw Rose’s flushed cheeks and dimpled smile, “what’s got you in a good mood?”

“Finn asked me to dinner on Saturday—well, Friday, but I told him I was busy Friday and could do Saturday instead,” Rose corrected, practically rambling.

“He finally did it, eh?” Rey smiled, voice turning soft, “that’s great Rose, I’m really happy for you.”

“I was starting to think he never would,” Rose whispered.

Rey let out a bark of a laugh, “impossible.”

Rose’s phone rang then, and she frowned up at Rey, “talk later?”

Rey nodded before heading back to her own desk. She shot Finn a knowing look as she sat down, and he quickly avoided eye contact, embarrassed as ever.

**JustRey:** Did you know Ben Solo is shy, like really shy?

**KyloRen:** I’m shy

**JustRey:** I know /that/

**JustRey:** I’m talking about Ben /Solo/

**KyloRen:** Oh, right…

**KyloRen:** Hey, Rey…?

**JustRey:** Yeah?

**KyloRen:** Never mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter showed up a little later than I had planned, I've had quite the busy week. But don't worry, all your hopes and dreams will come true soon enough.

It was two days before the premiere, and Rey’s whole body was buzzing like the incessant notifications on her phone. She hadn’t been able to eat a whole meal since Tuesday morning, the way the anticipation churned at her stomach. She was guzzling down caffeine like her life depended on it, though. Another ping greeted her, and Rey turned from her laptop to glance down at her phone.

It was Ben.

**KyloRen:** Hey I can’t respond for a while…

**KyloRen:** gonna be on a plane

**KyloRen:** I’m going on a trip

Rey furrowed her brow, in the weeks that they had been chatting, Ben had never mentioned going _anywhere._ She knew he didn’t have a job, and she knew that he didn’t like to go out, but she didn’t really know why. But a whole freaking airplane ride? For a second, Rey was almost worried someone had died.

**JustRey:** A trip? You’re leaving your house?

**JustRey:** This is crazy

**KyloRen:** Ha. Ha.

**JustRey:** I mean do you even go grocery shopping?

**KyloRen:** They’re delivered…

**JustRey:** /exactly/

**JustRey:** Business or pleasure?

Rey silently hoped to herself that her first instinct hadn’t been right, and that his father hadn’t suddenly passed in the night. Ben’s relationship with his parent’s was complicated enough, and although Ben didn’t talk about it, she could read between the lines. There was a part of him that wanted to mend that chasm between him and his family—and maybe even he didn’t know it yet. But the way he talked about his parents, on the off chance he did, well, it was laced with a sort of faraway nostalgia alongside the bitterness.

**KyloRen:** Business, actually

Rey exhaled.

**JustRey:** No longer between jobs?

**KyloRen:** It’s actually a thing for a job I’ve already finished…

**JustRey:** Oh, well… good luck?

He was being more cryptic than ever, Rey noticed suddenly. Sure, he wasn’t much of a talker in the first place, but he was sort of dancing around the topic now, as if the two of them where circling each other, revolving around some truth that he wouldn’t let her touch.

**KyloRen:** Thanks, I’m gonna need it

**KyloRen:** I hate these things…

**JustRey:** What things?

Rey wanted to lunge, to grab hold of whatever piece of himself was just inches away. The words behind the words. The next sentence to his story. The answer to her question. She could see the silhouette of him grow clearer—it was still shrouded, but no longer a shadow. It was a solid, living thing.

**KyloRen:** Nothing, I gotta go

Her hope fell away as quickly as it had come.

**JustRey:** Alright…

**JustRey:** I’ll talk to you later

*

“So we’re taking off work tomorrow, right?” Rose asked as Rey walked into work the next morning. Rey was clutching desperately at her chai latte with both hands, dark circles digging plum colored trenches under her eyes.

Rey glanced at Rose groggily, “why are we taking off work?”

“To get ready, of course,” Rose sighed, exasperation spilling off of her in waves. “I mean, you can’t expect us to leave work at five and be ready for glamor shots by six. It just isn’t going to happen, Rey.”

Rey nodded, taking a long sip from her mug, “yeah, I guess you’re right,” she acknowledged quietly.

“And I mean, I don’t know how productive we’d actually be _anyways,_ ” Rose pointed out, “shit, look at you, Rey. It’s like you haven’t slept all week.”

“I slept just fine at the beginning of the week,” Rey corrected, her voice firm, “it’s just the last couple of nights,” she said, trailing off.

“I’m just saying, you need rest and I need time. We might as well play hooky tomorrow and actually show up to the red carpet looking like people who were actually invited,” Rose explained, “it’s no fun if you fall asleep during the movie because you’re too stressed.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Rey breathed, waving Rose off with her hand, “tomorrow off then. I guess I’ll go tell Skywalker.”

“Great,” Rose smiled.

Rey acknowledged her with a tilt of her head and stumbled off toward Mr. Skywalker’s office. She tapped on the door wither her knuckles, and his cool blue eyes looked up to greet her.

“Don’t worry, I heard the whole conversation. Have a nice day off,” he dismissed her, with a smile, “and don’t forget to have fun.”

Rey nodded, “thank you, sir.”

Rey turned and made her way over to her own desk. She gingerly sat her cup down on the table before slumping into her chair and pulling out her phone.

“Do you ever actually do any work?” Finn asked, never looking up from his computer.

“Now that you mention it,” Rey shot back, a little more snarky than she would have liked, “no, I don’t think I do.” Rey sighed and dragged her free hand down her face, her whole body sagging like a dishrag hung over the oven handle. “I’m sorry, Finn. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“It’s alright, I didn’t really mind,” Finn shrugged, putting his headphones back into place, a clear indicator that the conversation was over. Tired wasn’t a good look on Rey, that was certain. She needed the day off more than she had thought. Rey tried to ignore the raging bitch she was being and pulled up her messages.

**JustRey:** Did you ever land?

**KyloRen:** Yeah actually…

**JustRey:** And you didn’t tell me?

She huffed to herself, annoyed that he hadn’t thought to mention it to her.

**KyloRen:** I didn’t think you’d want to know…

**JustRey:** Of course I wanted to know, Ben

**JustRey:** I wanted to know if you were safe

**KyloRen:** Oh… that’s nice

Rey didn’t really know what to think. They had been so _close_ lately. She really thought they were getting somewhere—wherever that was. Rey had started to think that maybe Rose had been right—maybe he did like her. But now? He didn’t even think they were close enough to let her know he had landed? A sour taste laced Rey’s tongue as a bitter sort of hurt crawled up her throat. If that was the case, well, then it was Rey’s fault for getting her hope’s up. It was her fault for reading everything wrong. They were friends—just friends—and no matter if they told each other their sob stories at three in the morning didn’t mean they actually meant something to each other. Even if she wanted them to. She would be civil; she could manage that much.

**JustRey:** What did the final destination end up being anyways?

**KyloRen:** It’s kind of funny actually…

**JustRey:** And why’s that?

**KyloRen:** Um, well…

**KyloRen:** I’m in London

**JustRey:** You’re /what/


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for...

“And he didn’t even tell me he was going to London!” Rey huffed, stuffing her hair up behind her head with little golden pins. They looked like leaves—some were more bronze toned and others yellow, and the way she arranged them made it look like autumn had arrived on the top of her head.

Rose hummed from where she was doing her eyeshadow on the other side of the room, “well, you did say he was a private person, right? We all knew that—it wasn’t a surprise. Maybe he was nervous that if he had told you he was coming, you’d want to see him. Maybe he’s not ready for that.”

Rey nodded, fitting another, rose gold toned leaf into place, “I guess that makes sense,” she acknowledged, “it was just weird. We were, we had been getting closer and he just pulled back so suddenly.”

“Maybe,” Rose suggested, her voice a little singsongy, “he was afraid if he told you he was going to London you _wouldn’t_ want to meet up with him.”

“That’s ridiculous, of course I would have made time to see him!” Rey exclaimed, turning around to look stiffly and Rose.

“I know that, but maybe _he_ doesn’t. Maybe he’s afraid of rejection just as much as the next guy,” Rose explained, “by leaving it to the last minute like this, there was no way you could reject plans because there was absolutely no time to make them.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Rey agreed, straightening out her dress with her clammy palms. In only a half an hour she’d be heading down the stairs of her shabby apartment and stepping into a limo. A limo—that would be taking her to the biggest movie premiere of the freaking decade. Her heart was going a million miles a minute, but strangely, the only thing she could think about was where Ben was. What he was doing in London. How close he was. She wouldn’t know it was him if she passed him on the street—how could she tell? Ben could be anyone out there, and Rey would be none the wiser.

She sighed and flopped down to sit on her bed before pulling on the strappy pair of heels she had gotten special for the occasion. Firmly fastened, she stood for Rose and did a little twirl. “How do I look?” Rey asked, voice sultry as she struck a pose.

“Beautiful, Rey” Rose breathed as she turned to look, and then her expression flashed something different. “Rey—no.”

“What?” She asked, confusion knitting itself between her eyebrows. She searched the length of her dress with her eyes for some spot or stain.

“You had a month to get that thing hemmed!” Rose cried, waving at the bottom of Rey’s dress with a sweep of her arm.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Rey trailed off, looking at the nearly two inches of her gown that pooled at her feet.

“Well, whatever. But I’m walking behind you so that I don’t get run into when you fall flat on your face,” Rose grumbled, turning back to the mirror.

It wasn’t much longer before there was a knock at Rey’s door.

“Ladies?” A muffled voice greeted them from the other side.

Rey swung open the door to reveal a middle-aged man in a black suit. His peppered hair stuck out slightly from the base of his hat.

“Is it time to go?” Rey asked, and the man nodded. He stepped aside so the pair could pass through. The girls hurried down the two flights of stairs, their heels clicking as they went.

“This is so exciting,” Rose hissed as she slid into the back seat.

“I know,” Rey whispered back, “I still can’t believe this is really happening.”

“Believe it, girlie,” Rose smiled, picking up a glass from the minibar at her side. The bottle of champagne was already uncorked and ready for them. Rose poured them both tall glasses before passing the flute to Rey, “this is going to be a night to remember,” she said as the glasses clinked together.

*

Arriving at the red carpet was just like Rey had pictured in her wildest fantasies. The pair exited the limo to hordes of flashing light, so bright against Rey’s irises she thought she might go blind. After a few moments the flashing stopped, once the crowd of trigger-happy photographers realized the girls weren’t anyone of interest.

Just as Rey had figured, they had gotten there earlier than most of the celebrities who would be showing up in their cars fashionably late. There were a few suited figures milling about on the carpet, but Rey was too dazzled to even glance in their direction. As the limo pulled away, Rey grasped for Rose’s hand and squeezed it tight, before releasing it to take a sweeping look at the scene around them. A long, red carpet stretched out toward the entry of the theater. A black banner with the Space Wars logo printed across it at various points spanned the length of the carpet, and a line of photographers stood behind a velvet rope, all vying for a front cover photo of the stars.

“C’mon,” Rose pushed, tugging at the side of Rey’s dress.

Rey stumbled forward, onto the walkway with long strides. Up ahead was a tall figure in a fitted black suit that was—well that was Ben Solo. Rey took in a sharp breath and a stutter step and suddenly she was hurtling forward. She barely glanced in time to see her heel catching on the end of her dress as she fell.

She landed against something stiff and firm. A person, no doubt. Red flushed in her cheeks in an embarrassed attempt to become one with the carpet. She looked slowly up at the man who had caught her, eyes dragging up the length of his long frame. Rey was met with familiar brown eyes, a speckled face, and a tamed mess of dark, silky hair. She gulped, heart slamming against her ribcage.

Rey heard Rose gasp from behind her, but it was more like a roar against her eardrums as she looked up at the Ben Solo. The shutter of camera lenses seemed to echo inside of her skull as lights began flickering around her—surely the press trying to get a glimpse of the clumsy girl who had fallen on the movie star. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Rey couldn’t utter a sound before he was speaking.

“Rey?” He asked, head tilted slightly as he studied her face, and her whole world flipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, a little bit mean. If you noticed, I put the chapter count to end at 10. It might go to 11, but I'm thinking of making this a short little series. So there will be more, just packaged a little differently...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma say it right now--sorry

Rey’s world was a blur of flashing lights as she stood frozen in Ben Solo’s strong arms. His large palms wrapped themselves almost entirely around her forearms in an effort to keep her standing. Recognition had bloomed onto his face only moments before—recognition as if he knew her. She had seen it streak across his features and so had the entirety of the watching photographers.

“Who’s this mystery girl, Solo?” One called out from the crowd.

“Is she tonight’s date?” Another questioned.

Rey was suddenly aware of a sinking feeling in her gut, and knew, without a doubt, that _she_ would be the one on the front page of tomorrow’s gossip magazine. No one would care about what Daisey Ridley was wearing. No one would want to know who gave who the cold shoulder on the red carpet. It would be her, in this moment, gazing up at him in shock and confusion that would be plastered on every cover page in the country, and Rey wanted to cry. In her wildest nightmares, this was not how the night would go. It was supposed to be quiet and fun. She wasn’t supposed to stumble into the biggest star here. She wasn’t supposed to become _that girl_ to the people she walked past on the street.

Rey ripped her arms out of his grasp harshly. “Let go of me,” she practically hissed, panic evident in the wobble of her voice. There was more lens shutters. She hated it, the pity in his smooth, amber eyes. She wanted to sink into the carpet, to disappear. Even with Rose standing right behind her, in this moment, she had never felt more alone.

“Rey, I’m sorry—If I had known you’d be here,” Ben Solo started, and Rey’s eyes snapped up to his. There it was again, her name.

“How do you know—” She began, the cogs turning in her brain. Ben Solo knew her name. Ben Solo was talking to her as if, well as if he gave a damn. Ben Solo was the nervous one, embarrassment written all over his slumped shoulders and red tips of his ears. Ben Solo knew her _name._ The only other Ben she knew who was in London right now, who knew what she looked like, who spoke to her—up until lately—like they were friends was… When the pieces finally fit themselves together, Rey didn’t know if she wanted to run or scream or hug the giant lug of a man in front of her with all she had.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said again, softer this time. He reached out for her with one of his huge, open palms, “I’m sorry, Rey. I should have told you. I should have told you who I was and that I would be here and, and, I’m sorry.”

“Rey?” Rose whispered into Rey’s ear, voice hot against her burning cheeks, “how do you know Ben Solo, and how come you never told me?”

“Well, technically I did tell you,” Rey responded slowly, the words leaving her mouth strained and stilted, as if she was still unsure of them herself, “I just didn’t know that _Ben_ was Ben.”

“No,” Rose breathed, excitement and disbelief evident, and Rey watched as Ben shifted heavily from one foot to the next, “no way.”

“Way,” Ben piped up, head ducked low to avoid both women’s eyes. “You—ah—you look beautiful tonight, Rey,” Ben stuttered. Rey thought she ought to be flattered—a movie star telling her she looked beautiful—but the reality was much different.

Rey wanted to puke. She would have expected to have been shuffled off the red carpet by now. Surely other stars would be arriving soon—surely they wouldn’t let the three of them bumble around like idiots for the next half hour. Rey took another long, sweeping look at her surroundings. No one was making any move toward the door. In fact, no one was moving at all. Everyone’s eyes were squarely on her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled in return when Rose nudged her in the side, but the words were strained.

“Well, uh, should we—” Ben held out his arm toward the entrance, and another thousand camera shutters sounded off at once, “should we head in now?” It was like she was fifteen again, getting asked to the school dance by the awkward boy in the back of the class. She had said yes then, with a smile and an eager glint in her eyes. It had all been torn away when the week before the dance she was shipped off to a different foster home at the other side of the state. She hadn’t let herself cry then—she was too used to having what she wanted stripped away. Now, though, she felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes as she spoke.

“I think,” Rey whispered, eyes trained down toward the glossy black sheen of his pointed leather shoes, “I think me and Rose better find our seats.”

Rose shot Rey a look but didn’t complain as the pair pushed passed him and into the theater. For a moment Rey doubted herself—she thought of turning back around, of asking him to go with them—but she was dizzy with fear and confusion. As a pair of ushers stepped aside to swing the theater doors open, Rey heard the camera’s flash again. She looked back to see Ben Solo dumbstruck, standing alone and stranded out on the red carpet, looking lost to the world. Rey thought maybe she was wrong earlier—maybe it wouldn’t be the two of them on the cover of tomorrow’s tabloids—maybe it would be this moment. Rey with her back to him, and Ben with his eyes wide, hand still reaching toward her like she might turn around.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It will get better, I promise... just not yet

Rose and Rey had stuffed themselves into a pair of seats toward the middle of the theater—where Rey liked to sit best. She liked how it centered the screen in front of her so that her whole existence was the film. Rose had shot her another questioning look as the pair had found their seats, but Rey had brushed it off.

As the lights dipped low over the theater about an hour later, after the rest of the audience had crammed themselves in, Rose scrunched her nose and mouthed “are you sure you’re okay?”

Rey had nodded then.

She didn’t really get to see the movie, if she was being quite honest—and honestly? That disappointed her. She had been looking forward for this since the credits rolled on the second movie nearly two years ago—and now, as the screen faded out and the audience stood to applaud themselves, Rey’s only thought was of how she’d have to see it again another time.

She didn’t look for him in the crowd as they shuffled out—didn’t crane her neck to see if the broad shoulders three rows back was him. Instead, she kept her eyes on the gold tips of her strappy heels, swishing out from beneath that beautiful dress she had picked for this perfect night, and wondering how it had all gone so wrong so fast.

*

Even though Rey had been expecting it, when she saw the open back of her dress on her internet home page the next morning, she wanted to cry. Ben’s arm stretched out toward her, looking lost to the world. Whoever the photographer had been to take this shot—the one where he looked blindly forward straight into the lens—must have made a fortune.

Her phone buzzed.

**Rose:** Hey, at least you look good

**Rey:** It’s really not a great time, Rose

**Rose:** I know, girlie. Just… try to relax this weekend

**Rey:** Thanks, enjoy your date.

She did not look at the messages from a certain someone that seemed to be piling up in her mailbox. She did not. Instead, she clicked on the article screaming at her from her screen.

**_Space Wars Star Solo Stood Up?_**

Rey groaned as she read on.

_Space Wars actor Ben Solo [Kylo Ren] showed up single to the red carpet, per usual. Except this time? A mystery girl caught his attention—literally._

A photo of her not so graceful flop into his arms graced her vision then, and she took a moment to study her shocked face. Her mouth was open in a slight gasp as she looked up at him—a expression mirrored in his own wide eyes.

_But this red carpet fiasco was no accident. After stumbling into the star’s arms, the two shared a quite heated moment. Our sources can’t say who the mystery girl was, but whoever she was, she ended up leaving Solo solo for the premiere. Our reporters stopped Solo on the red carpet for a comment._

Rey stopped herself. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to read what he had to say about her in the moments following. She knew what she had done was…harsh… to say the least. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, not really. But there were so many eyes on her, so many people looking her direction, and he had _lied_ to her, hadn’t he? Rey took a deep breath in and read on.

**_Interviewer:_** _So, Solo, who was your mystery girl tonight?_

_**Ben Solo:** No mystery, just a girl I know_

_**Interviewer:** What happened on the red carpet would say otherwise. Her name?_

_**Ben Solo:** That’s hers to tell_

_**Interviewer:** And why was she so mad at you tonight?_

_**Ben Solo:** Mad?_

_**Interviewer:** She pulled away, didn’t she? _

_**Ben Solo:** I guess she felt a little taken off guard. _

_That’s all the star had to say about that, leaving a few moments later. One things certain, there is more here than meets the eye—and Benjamin Solo might have a little romance blooming on the horizon._

Rey groaned audibly. She had been so rude to him. She was so busy thinking about what would happen to _her_ in the morning, she hadn’t even stopped to consider how the press might jump on him. Even so, he had been nothing but cordial talking to the press—the epitome of class. Rey sighed and dragged a hand through her loose hair.

Her phone buzzed again.

**KyloRen:** Rey…

**KyloRen:** Can we talk?

**KyloRen:** Please?

**KyloRen:** I’m sorry…

For a moment, Rey wanted to. She wanted to pick up her phone and tell him that it was all water under the bridge. She wanted to pretend like none of it had ever happened. But she knew who he really was now—and something had kept him from telling her. Was he ashamed of her? Did he not want the public to know he was talking to some nobody over the internet? Of course he wouldn’t want her, wouldn’t want the world to know. Or maybe he thought even worse of her, maybe he thought if she knew who he was, that’s all she would want from him—the money and the fame. Could he really think so lowly of her? Did he really think she was shallow enough to do that to him? She thought they were _friends,_ and well, she hoped they could have been more than that.

**JustRey:** _…is typing…_

Rey thought for a moment about what to say to him, her fingers tapping away and then deleting, over and over. She wanted to tell him he had hurt her, that she was sorry, that she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell her. She wanted to forget—to go back to just Ben and just Rey. She stopped typing when her phone rang.

It was a number she didn’t recognize.

“Hello? Is this Rey Johnson?” The voice on the other line asked.

“Yes?” She answered tentatively.

“This is Poe Dameron,” the deep voice introduced himself.

Dameron, Dameron, Rey knew that name. He had come into the office a while back—she had set up his meeting with Mr. Skywalker.

“Is this about Mr. Skywalker?” She questioned.

“Actually, no, this is about you. I work for the London Mirror. I wanted to talk to you about—”

Before he could finish, Rey threw her phone across the room. Whatever she had wanted wasn’t possible now, that was clear enough. The world hadn’t figured out her name, but it was only a matter of time. There was no going back to normal. No going back to how things were. She dragged herself slowly out of her desk chair and over to the floor where her phone fell. Rey watched the screen go black as she turned it off and shoved it into the drawer of her desk. She moved sluggishly, any sense of hope drained from her, and she crawled into bed. _Relax this weekend,_ Rose had told her. Rey laughed bitterly to herself, pulled her comforter up over her head, and cried.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than I was hoping for, but it was either a short one now, or a behemoth of a chapter a few days from now. I thought I might as well get /something/ out there.

Rey didn’t know what she expected when she went to leave for work Monday morning. She didn’t know what would happen once she opened the door of her flat and walked out onto the street. Rey swept up her hair into three rough buns. It had been two days—two days spend hiding under her covers and cowering from her phone. She hadn’t wanted to know what the tabloids were saying of her. Rey was afraid of seeing her face plastered across the screen, but even more so, she was afraid of seeing his. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him, not really. Rey was scared and confused and hurt herself—but now, was he a joke to the media? Was the world wondering how a blockbuster actor could be stood up by some nobody at his own premiere?

Rey looked at her phone now, the screen still turned off, and thought for a moment about all the notifications and missed calls she surely had before she shoved the thing into her back pocket. She didn’t _want_ to know what was waiting for her outside. She didn’t want to know because once she knew it could never go back. As soon as she crossed the threshold it would no longer be the life she had lived for so long, the safe life, the comfortable life she had built for herself after years of instability and abuse. A thousand questions swam through her head as she stood there. A thousand things she couldn’t answer and didn’t want to.

It was for that reason, her hand hovered over the door handle leading out of her building and into the street. It was for that reason she closed her eyes, squeezed them shut hard enough it hurt, and let out a long, deep breath. Whatever she had expected, Rey wasn’t ready when she finally opened her door. It swung open slowly, and time seemed to still as her fate was displayed before her, like a picture framed by entryway.

Truthfully, it wasn’t the best outfit she could have picked. Surely some part of her had to be aware of that when she walked out of her home in sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt. She had to go to work, but Luke Skywalker would understand that a little break in dress code was necessary when one’s world was falling apart. He had to. She regretted it for half a second as the door swung open and cameras flashed to life. Another glorious tabloid spread awaited her, that was for sure. Rey ducked her head against the lights and pushed through the crowd of photographers. Their questions echoed against her skull like a bad hangover—

_Are you seeing Ben Solo?_ One voice called from the crowd.

 _Why did you ditch him on the red carpet?_ Another man asked, this one practically standing over her.

 _What’s your story?_ A young woman called, camera propped at the ready.

And wasn’t that the question.

“I’m Rey,” she said suddenly, trainers scraping to a halt against the sidewalk. Another round of shutters went off as she turned toward them, “just Rey. And there’s no story.”

“Clearly,” a voice scoffed from the crowd in disbelief.

“No, there really isn’t. I don’t know Ben Solo. I never really did,” she stated, and a couple confused photographers glanced at each other. “If you’re here looking for something to sell the gossip magazines,” Rey continued, “you’re not going to find anything. So you might as well stop looking.”

“It sounds like there’s something more,” another man asked, this one thin and wiry. He wore a twisted smirk that flashed across his face about as harshly as his fiery red hair. Whatever sense of restraint she had managed to hold onto up until this point faded away, and Rey steeled herself, setting her mouth into a hard line.

“Maybe,” she huffed, glaring daggers into the man, “maybe there was. Maybe there could have been,” the words falling bitter from her mouth, “but _you_ would be the last person on Earth to know.” She stormed off down the street, heart beating heavy against her ribcage.

The rest of the walk was more uneventful. The crowd of paparazzi did not follow her, even though she half expected them to. Rey heard a few whispered gasps on her way of people not quite sure if she was really her—she did look quite different in her frumpy outfit compared to the other night—and she was grateful that none of the onlookers got up the courage to approach her. Even then, she still moved quickly through the early London walkers, weaving between groups of people with her head ducked low and her hands shoved into the bottom of her pockets. When she finally made her way into the tall office building Skywalker Advertising Industries called home, she had broken a sweat.

“How are you feeling, girlie?” Rose asked as Rey stumbled in. Even though the woman swung her concerned eyes over the length of Rey’s body, Rose didn’t mention the disheveled state she was in.

“I’m alright,” Rey puffed in return. She wasn’t really up for small talk this morning. Instead, she just wanted to spend a quiet morning at her desk. She had already turned to go when Rose called from behind her.

“I’m gonna warn you—” Rose began, “you have a visitor.”

By the time the words fully registered inside of Rey’s head, it was too late. One moment, she was headed down the hall toward her desk, and the next, Ben Solo was striding out of Luke Skywalker’s office, all broad shoulders and tall frame and coiled spring ready to snap. The air swept out of Rey’s lungs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ….and cue grand gesture.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, sorry this took so long to get out, I have a lot going on with school right now so not much time to write. But here it is, the ending. I hope you enjoy :)

“Rey,” Ben started, holding out one hand toward her. The other was clutched around a large bouquet of flowers—happy yellow sunflowers tucked in alongside white daisies.

“What are you doing here?” Rey asked suddenly, stumbling back a couple steps. It was still something, seeing him, realizing that he was everything he was and its scared her a little. What was she supposed to do with him? She stared at the flowers in an effort to avoid his own gaze. Their bright faces seemed to mock her current predicament.

“I’m sorry,” he continued, offering out the flowers for her to take. Rey shook her head slightly and crossed her arms, his face fell. She didn’t want to hurt him, not like that. He had come all this way to apologize, after all. It wasn’t like she _wouldn’t_ accept them, just not yet.

“How did you find me?” She challenged instead.

“Rey,” he sighed, sweeping his large palm through his hair, the exasperation clear in his voice, “you work at my uncle’s advertising company. It wasn’t hard to find.”

“This is true,” She mumbled quietly to herself, trying to ignore the eyes boring into her from all sides as curious co-workers tried to get a glimpse of what was happening. She heard a couple of them mumble under their breaths.

“Look,” Ben tried again, a little deflated, “I know this isn’t going to fix everything I did wrong. I should have told you—I should have explained so much sooner. And God, Rey, I should have told you I wanted to meet up with you the second I knew I’d be in London, but I was afraid.”

“Why?” She breathed then, still unsure.

“I was afraid you’d be mad at me for not telling you who I was. I was afraid that everything would change because suddenly the idiot you’ve been talking to over the internet for the past couple of months has a face and that face is in movies. I-I don’t know Rey. I was scared. I was scared shitless and I shouldn’t have done any of it, and I’m sorry.”

It was in that moment that Finn wandered around the corner, munching absent mindedly on an orange cranberry muffin.

“Hey Rey, there’s muffins in the break room if you want—” his voice cut off as his eyes scanned Ben up and down, “hey!” He exclaimed, waiving at the other man, muffin in hand, “this is the dude, isn’t it? The guy you and Rose were fawning over on your computer screen?” Crumbs from his muffin fell onto the ground as he swept his arm for emphasis.

Rey turned a deep shade of pink.

Ben, in all of his mass, looked amused—shoulders relaxing slightly as a sly sort of grin broke out on his face, “fawning eh?” He asked. The question was directed toward Finn, but the way his voice turned into a low sort of teasing was definitely directed toward Rey.

“Oh yeah,” Finn nodded, taking another bite, seemingly unaware of the disaster playing out in front of him, of how Rey seemed to be drowning in open air, “totally ogling. Anyways, I got work to do.”

Finn stumbled off toward his desk and Rey found an interesting spot on the carpet to stare at.

“You have a crush on Ben Solo?” Ben asked, eyebrow ticked up. He was all movie star here, no longer the nervous guy who had wandered into the office to sweep her off her feet, and honestly? Rey was disappointed. She liked quiet Ben, earnest Ben, _please forgive me_ Ben.

“No,” she answered, and it was true, in a way, “I think Ben Solo is hot. I had a crush on _you._ ”

*

_You’re looking for an ending. You’re waiting for me to tell you what he said to woo her, to drag her back to him, and maybe there is one. Maybe the bouquet of flowers and the I’m sorry and the I never want to lose you swept her off her feet right there in the entryway. Maybe she took his hand and he held hers and nothing mattered except the fact that they were together, in that moment, finally present, no longer separated by an ocean or a screen. Maybe it all happened like that, and then again, maybe it didn’t. But you already know the ending, don’t you?_

The credits rolled and the lights came up, the narrators voice, Ben’s voice, fading with it. His large frame stalked toward the front of the room, a low blush blooming across his cheeks as a wide smile cracked out across his face.

“Thank you,” he said, clutching on tight to the microphone in his hands, “for coming to tonight’s premiere of ‘Talk to you Later’. I always wanted to be a writer and never really followed that dream—but three years ago I walked into the greatest love story ever written, and it was mine, and it was the story I needed to tell. So thank you, for being here tonight to share it with me,” he paused then, arcing one of his long arms out toward the audience, “and my beautiful wife, who I met in on the internet because even movie stars can be too shy to go out and meet real people. Thank you, Rey. Thank you for really seeing me and not the millionaire with a movie deal. Thank you for saying no to me that night on the red carpet, because it meant that I really mattered to you, not the fame or the flashing lights. Thank you for being the most grounded person I know and thank you for letting me love you every day of my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! It was really interesting for me to try writing because I've never done anything like this before. I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
